The South Rose, or Rose of Noon, was offered by king Sain Louis. The master builders who conceived it were Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil. The first master architect of the Cathedral, Jean de Chelles, was responsible for arranging the laying of the transept façade's first stone, in 1258. The South Rose, a real center piece placed on the façade, was built in 1260 echoing the North Rose, which was built approximately in 1250. Like her counterpart of the north, the South Rose has a diameter of 12.90 meters and, if we add the clerestory over which it rests, the total height of the window is almost 19 meters.
This rose window is consecrated to the New Testament.
La Rose Sud ou Rose du Midi fut offerte par le roi Saint Louis. Les maîtres d’œuvres l’ayant conçu sont Jean de Chelles, puis Pierre de Montreuil. Le premier maître d’œuvre de la Cathédrale, Jean de Chelles, fit poser la première pierre de la façade du transept sud en 1258. La Rose Sud, véritable pièce centrale trônant sur la façade du transept, fut édifiée en 1260 en écho à la Rose du Nord, édifiée, quant à elle, vers 1250. Comme son pendant du nord, la Rose Sud, voit son diamètre atteindre 12,90 mètres, et, si l’on ajoute la claire-voie sur laquelle elle repose, la hauteur totale de vitrage est presque de 19 mètres.
Cette rosace est consacrée au Nouveau Testament.
The South Rose went through a number of interventions over the centuries, and it no longer resembles the original. It probably contained at the center an image of Christ in Majesty, but it disappeared, and it was Violet-le-Duc, during restauration, who decided to replace it with a representation of Christ from the Apocalypse, surrounded by the symbols of John, Matthew, St. Luke and St. Mark.
South Rose. Image from the official Notre Dame website, linked above.
Detail of the South Rose. Image from the Notre Dame official website.
View from the South side of the Cathedral, showing the South rose window, during restoration in 1847...
View from the side of a gothic cathedral (probably Notre Dame). Photograph by Leonardo Villena Pardo...
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On April 15, 2019, a fire struck the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. This timespace guides you through the history and possible future of this Parisian landmark.
